United States
The United States of America (USA or United States) is one of the richest and most influential nations on Earth. Summary Write the first section of your article here. History The United States of America was founded on the 4th of July 1776 when it declared it's independence from Great Britain. By the mid 20th century it had grown to become the richest, most powerful nation on Earth. 21st Century United States The early 21st century saw the United States become embroiled in a series of increasingly unpopular military operations, primarily as part of the War on Terror. In 2040 the EU and the Russian Federation clashed in the so-called Arctic War. During this conflict the EU invoked Article 5 of the NATO Treaty in an attempt to force the USA (and Canada) to join the fighting. Both countries had previously signed separate treaties with Russia regarding access to Arctic resources and in addition the US media was quick to point out that the EU had fired the first shots of the conflict, meaning that they were technically the aggressor and could not invoke a "defensive" treaty. Congress agreed with the media and refused to allow US forces to be deployed. Americas refusal to become involved in the fighting angered several EU members and diplomatic relations were curtailed. In 2041 the USA formally left NATO and declared that it would no longer engage in military operation beyond its borders unless attacked first. Over the next two years close to half a million US military personnel were withdrawn from bases across the globe, the only foreign country where US troops remained was Korea where they were deployed until 2055 as part of the international force monitoring the integration process. Despite it's withdrawal from NATO and growing isolation the USA was, however, still involved in a number of international projects. NASA was heavily committed to space exploration including the colonisation of both the Moon and Mars and the building of several large space stations whilst the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was a junior partner in the CERN fusion research programme. Mexico The 2030's and 40's were a harsh time for Mexico. In the rural areas of the country drug cartels were waging a bloody and escalating war against government forces and this conflict was seeping into the cities. In one incident in 2037, forty tourists from Germany were killed when their coach was caught in the crossfire of a battle between police and cartel gunmen. This conflict decimated Mexico's tourist industry, leading to increasing poverty in many towns and cities. The Government was so desperate to win the battle that they even reinstated capital punishment, previously abolished in 2005. 2041 is known as the Year of Tears (Año de las Lágrimas) in Mexico City after more than a hundred government officials (and over twice that number of civilians and bystanders) were killed in shoot outs and assassinations. The governments break came in 2044 when the US military completed it's redeployment back to the continental USA. With over 30'000 US troops deployed along the border with Mexico the drugs flow into the USA withered to a trickle, cutting the cartels off from their largest market. The supply of illegal guns into Mexico from the US was also stopped. Without funding or a source of weapons the cartels found themselves on the defensive. Eventually in 2045 the Government launched Operation Eagle (Operación Águila), a massive operation involving nearly 42'000 police officers, federal agents and military personnel. During the eight month long campaign the Government forces arrested more than 9'000 cartel members, including most of the senior leaders, and killed over twice that number. A series of special judicial hearings were used to push the cases through the courts and around half of those found guilty were executed, most of the remainder were given long prison sentences. With their power bases destroyed the cartels ceased being a major problem, although the drugs trade would continue to flourish on a smaller scale to this day. The death penalty in Mexico was once again abolished in Mexico in 2055. 22nd Century 23rd Century The 23rd century is seen by many as the century where the USA finally regained its position as a world leader. The colonisation programme increased its pace, the national economy strengthened, and the US finally abandoned its neutrality doctrine when it moved against the PRCA. Following the Great Central American War with the People's Republic of Central America, the ravaged states of Mexico and Cuba voluntarily dissolved as a sovereign nations under United Nations supervision and became protectorates of the United States of America in 2278. Beginning in 2299, over a period of ten years, all 31 Mexican states were admitted into the Union of the United States under Article IV, Section 3, of the United States Constitution. Cuba became the 32nd new state in 2315. While the Gran Admisión was not without it's virulent opponents in the new and old States, over the next hundred years the economic and social benefits became evident. The post-war reconstruction of Mexico and Cuba generated trillions of dollars in revenue and millions of people were lifted out of poverty. That being said, even in the 25th Century there are still hold-groups from all regions that sometimes violently oppose the new reality and secessionist movements throughout the United States have found some funding and support from America's enemies. Government The United States is a federal presidential republic with representative democracy. There are three branches of government - Legislative, Executive, and Judicial - which work together to maintain balance through a series of checks and balances. The head of state is the President of the United States who is elected every four years for a maximum of two terms. The largest brach of the government is the Legislative, which is divided into three "houses" collectively known as Congress. These are - the Senate, the House of Representives, and the Chamber of Deputies. The Senate has 180 members who serve for six years at a time, with one third been up for re-election every two years. The Chamber of Deputies is located in Mexico City and acts as a counterpart for the House of Representatives. The Chamber has 580 members. Economy Manufacturing and Construction The USA is one of the most heavily industrialised nations on Earth, with over 22 million people directly employed in the manufacturing of goods. Another ten million are employed in construction based industries. Some of the largest employers include Boeing Aviation, the Ford Motor Company, and General Dynamics. Financial Services Wall Street in New York City is one of the "Big Three" stock exchanges in the world along side London and Tokyo. Billions of dollars worth of stocks and futures are traded every day on the exchange floor. Surrounding the Exchange are dozens of banks and other financial institutions Tourism It is estimated that ten and a half million people enter the US on tourist visas every week, generating billions of dollars in profits a year. Tourism is said to be the main source of income in no fewer than twenty four states and nearly eight and a half million people are directly employed in the tourist trade. Agriculture The United States are a net exporter of foodstuffs. The Great Plains of the US are known as the worlds breadbasket producing hundreds of millions of tons of maize (corn), wheat, barley, and soybeans. Coffee, cotton, tobacco are all major cash crops. Over three million people are employed in agriculture, many on family owned farms. Colonies The United States has invested heavily in colonising its claimed territories. The colonies in the American Corridor consists of three Garden worlds - Gemini, Potomac, and Shangri-La - three Martian worlds - Sierra Rojo, Hot Springs and Valhalla - and a large gas giant moon - Apollo. In addition to the colonies in the Corridor the USA controls territory on Luna and Io in the Sol System and on Linc in the Barnard's Star system. The territory on Luna, Armstrong, is a federally recognised State rather than a colony whilst the facilities on Io and Linc are a mix of industrial sites, research labs, and military bases. Military The armed forces of the USA are divided into five branches, known as Services - the Army, the Navy (Maritime), the Marines, the Aerospace Force, and the Space Navy. In addition there are three other departments which, in time of conflict, would fall under the control of the Department of Defence - the Coast Guard, the Border Security Agency, and the Space Patrol. Normally these services are tasked with law enforcement although they are classified as military agencies﻿. The headquarters for the US Armed Forces are located in the "Stephanie Yu Building", Denver, Colorado. This building replaced the elderly and dilapidated Pentagon in 2201. Because of its design, and the presence of so many senior officers, the Stephanie Yu Building is often known as the Towers of Brass United States Army The main land warfare arm of the US is the Army. With an established manpower of over three and a half million soldiers (active and reserve) the US Army is the largest all-volunteer branch of any military in the world. Currently the US Army has forty eight divisions (twenty eight Regular and twenty National Guard), plus twenty eight Independent Combat Brigades (ICBs). These forces are organised into a total of sixteen Corps. Of these troops more than half are deployed out along the American Corridor. The largest concentration outside of Earth is on Shangri La where there are fourteen divisions (eight Regular and six National Guard). Two divisions, consisting of three mechanised and one armoured brigades, plus four ICBs are deployed along the border with the United States Space Navy (USSN) Tasked with protecting US interests off world and projecting power as and when needed the USSN is a large, flexible force made up of over three hundred ships ranging in size from the massive Intrepid-class super carriers down to PT-2 Kingfisher cutters. The USSN also maintains a massive fleet of fighters and strike craft. United States Aerospace Force (USAF) Aviation combat operations with a planets atmosphere and in the low orbit environment is handled by the USAF which has 210 active squadrons operating a mix of fighters, strike craft, and dedicated bombers. United States Marine Corps (USMC) See Main Article: USMC America's main rapid reaction force, the USMC. The Marines became a separate service with the establishment of the United States Space Navy in 2154. In 2415, the USMC is composed of three active and three reserve divisions, plus two independent Marine brigades and several independent special duty or special purpose battalions. True to their expeditionary history, the USMC forms battalion and brigade-sized expeditionary task forces. Battalion-sized task forces, known as Marine Expeditionary Units (or, in recent history Marine Assault Units, Marine Interstellar Units, and Marine Orbital Assault Units) are formed around one infantry battalion with attached fire support, tank, and reconnaissance elements, an LMT-77 Comoront dropship squadron, and an LHT-9 Pelican heavy assault dropship squadron. Typically, this entire force is deployed on a single Guadalcanal-class Planetary Assault Carrier. MEUs conduct a vast array of missions, including but not limited to system surveys, search and rescues, colonial evacuations, colonial reliefs, orbital assaults and ship and station boardings. Marine Expeditionary Brigades are scaled-up versions of the MEUs, formed from two or more infantry battalions and a Marine Air Group. United States Coast Guard Category:Nations Category:Superpowers